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The L.A. City Council has voted to prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries next to residences. As previously discussed, the decision is a part of the city’s ongoing effort to tackle the controversial issue of how to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries. As the Los Angeles Times reports, hundreds of marijuana dispensaries have opened and city officials can do little to close them without a law. Now, only a few contentious issues are left to resolve - including where dispensaries can locate and how many will be allowed....

Harkening back to a more traditional familial structure, more seniors are living with their children and relatives, according to two new Census reports. If you think it’s because of the economy, guess again: It’s because of changing demographics. Here’s what’s driving the multi-generational household trend: Lack of Opportunity for Self-Sufficiency Though cultural mores may be a driving force behind multigenerational households, let’s call a spade a spade: It’s probably not a coincidence that individuals who belong to historically disenfranchised groups are more likely to live with relatives....

Miami-Dade County’s new sex offender laws has forced the encampment of homeless sex offenders living under the Julia Tuttle bridge in Miami-Dade to be shutdown. So, now what? Some of the homeless sex offenders are on short waiting lists for housing under Miami-Dade County’s revised sex-offender law. According to the Miami-Herald, the tents and shacks set up by homeless sex offenders were an eyesore and the encampment was a public embarrassment for local government....

Moms and dads often disagree in the best of circumstances. In divorce and custody situations, the disagreements can get nasty, and even petty. A divorced New Jersey couple went to court to fight over whether taking their 11-year-old daughter to a P!nk (Pink) concert was abuse of parental discretion. The mother shares joint legal custody with the father. Mom took the daughter to a P!nk concert because the girl was an avid fan....

Not every marriage needs wedding bells. Some just need the “chirp chirp” of an incoming Skype call. It may not sound romantic, but in some parts of American society, marriages over the Internet video-calling service Skype have become more commonplace. For example, certain immigrant communities are using Skype as a bridge between spouses who may have never met in person, reports The New York Times. But before you kiss your webcam bride, here are five probing legal questions about Skype weddings:...

How a tragic suicide case has turned into an investigation into New Jersey privacy laws is a new exploration into the legal landscape of social media. Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi committed suicide after he found out his college roommate had been using a webcam (and Twitter) to spy on him during intimate moments with another man. Clementi ultimately jumped from The George Washington Bridge, leaving a suicide note on his Facebook account....

While watching the latest fad internet challenge is usually exciting, one new challenge is more concerning than anything else. The salt and ice challenge should just be avoided, as it is dangerous and is practically guaranteed to lead to injury. Unlike the ALS ice-bucket challenge, which had some rather minor liability concerns, the salt and ice challenge is a legal nightmare. Parents need to read up on this one in order to educate their children on why they should avoid this challenge....

Last Friday, Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson signed a law forbidding smoking in Kansas restaurants. According to the Kansas City Star, the state is kicking the habit and has banned smoking in bars, restaurants and workplaces. The statewide smoking ban takes effect on July 1. As previously discussed, Michigan recently approved a state smoking ban. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a workplace smoking ban into law. It includes bars, restaurants and private clubs....

Former Syracuse basketball coach and accused child molester Bernie Fine is facing his first civil lawsuit by an alleged victim who is accused of fabricating his story. The lawsuit, filed today in Pennsylvania, claims Fine sexually abused Zach Tomaselli at a hotel room in Pittsburgh in 2002, the Associated Press reports. Tomaselli, now 23, claims Fine showed him pornography and fondled him. Fine insists he’s innocent of all charges. But Syracuse fired him last month over these and other allegations, ending a storied 35-year coaching career....

On September 10, 2017, Spencer Hight walked into his estranged wife’s home and opened fire on the football watch party she was hosting with an AR-15, killing her and seven of her guests. Before the shooting, Hight had been drinking at a bar down the street and was allegedly visibly intoxicated while he was being served. Now parents of three of Hight’s victims are suing the Local Public House in Plano, Texas, as well as the bartender who served him, claiming the bar was grossly negligent in failing to monitor Hight’s alcohol consumption and continuing to serve Hight alcohol, and also that his intoxication was “a proximate cause” of the shooting....

Home foreclosure is still a hot topic on the minds of many Americans. Mass layoffs, furloughs, and salary cuts have given cause to worry for millions of homeowners who are tightening purse strings to budget for monthly mortgage payments. Over the past months we have covered the topic from various angles to inform consumers about the state of foreclosures and homeowner options to avoid foreclosure. Here is a rundown of our top 10 posts:...

Women face issues in the workforce. Like it or not, women are often discriminated against, even before being hired for a job. Despite potential lawsuits, some employers insist on asking inappropriate questions during the job interview process that border on illegality. Employers need to do their research for interviews, too. Being prepared for the applicant and an interview will not only allow for a better line of questioning but also a legal one....

This year, President Obama issued an executive order preventing businesses that are awarded federal contracts from retaliating against employees who discuss their wages with each other. Prior to this executive order prohibiting retaliation for employees being transparent regarding their pay, an employer (that has more than $10,000 in annual federal contract work) could prohibit employees from discussing their wages with each other. The issue of pay transparency is somewhat controversial and not everyone agrees that it is the best method of closing the gender wage gap....

So, you and your significant other are breaking up. You’re not married, so there will be no divorce lawyers involved. There are no kids, either. Things should be simple, but they’re not. He wants the car and you want it, too. And what about the big screen TV? Technically, you both paid for it. Who gets the property when breaking up? Let’s start with the car. If he bought the car and she maintained it, both parties have some legal claim....

If you think small businesses are immune to cyberattacks, think again. From poor password protection to stale antivirus software, it’s simple errors that are costing businesses big-time. Recent reports show that the majority of corporate data breaches target companies with fewer than 100 employees. Why? Naivety and unpreparedness, one security expert tells Forbes. Fortunately, businesses need only make minor adjustments to thwart a host of online security risks. Here are a few common cyber security risks and simple precautions every business owner should keep in mind:...

When we are healthy and everything is going well, we don’t like to dwell on the possibility of disaster, illness, or misfortune. But by addressing the issues that could cause us trouble later in life, we minimize the likelihood that a catastrophic event will thwart all our plans. Even if you are convinced that you need a plan, you may not know what you need and how to ensure that everything is in place, legally speaking, so that your plan is carried out....

The tragic duck boat accident on the Delaware River in Philadelphia has led to a wrongful death suit. The parents of two Hungarians, Dora Schwendtner, 16, and Szabolcs Prem, 20, who were killed in the Duck Boat incident, have filed suit against several parties including the city and the Duck Boat tour company. The family alleges that “Ride the Ducks” was negligent when the captain shut off the engine and dropped the boat’s anchor in the middle of the Delaware River....

In case you missed it in your news feed, Facebook turns 10 years old today. So what legal lessons have we learned in the decade since the site was first launched as “TheFacebook.com”? A quick look back at our past Facebook-related blog posts suggests users can do with a reminder about how status updates and comments can sometimes lead to negative (and even criminal) consequences in real life. Whether you use Facebook to keep in touch with friends, promote your business, or to find out the latest news, here are 10 legal lessons we’ve learned from Facebook users over the past 10 years:...

The 9-5 grind can be brutal, and the lunch hour is the perfect chance to take a break from work and socialize with fellow employees. It looks like a group of auto workers at a Detroit Chrysler assembly plant took their case of the Mondays a little too far last week. Fifteen Chrysler auto workers were caught by a local news station drinking beers and smoking marijuana on the job. The employees have been suspended without pay for drinking at lunch, according to the Wall Street Journal....

A Buffalo YMCA lawsuit has levied some serious accusations of child rape. A 12-year-old girl, raped on the premises, gave birth earlier this year. She named the rapist, a former YMCA camp counselor, as the father. The attacks allegedly occurred at a YMCA Buffalo, in the basement sauna room of the facility. The girl was 11 at the time. According to her attorneys, she not only became pregnant as a result of the attacks but also contracted a sexually transmitted disease, reports The Wall Street Journal....